N219bn federal projects in 2024 budget not executed despite funds released – Tracka

Tracka, a civic tech platform that tracks the implementation of government projects, says federal government projects worth billions of naira were either never executed, abandoned, or fraudulently delivered across several states.

In its report titled ‘The People and Government Oversight: Connecting the Dots in Service Delivery’, launched in Abuja on Wednesday, the organisation said it tracked 2,760 capital projects across 30 states over a 13-month period, with a total allocation of N2.26 trillion under the 2024 federal budget.

According to the findings, 28.8 percent of tracked projects valued at about N219 billion were never executed, despite funds being released.

Tracka said the unexecuted projects were found in states such as Benue, Ondo, Kwara, Akwa Ibom, and Sokoto, adding that there is a heavy concentration of abandoned works worth N7.8 billion located in Taraba, Abia, Adamawa, Ogun, and one other state.

The report further showed that 57.1 percent of projects suffered fraudulent delivery, noting that N8.61 billion was disbursed for substandard, diverted, or poorly executed works in Imo, Lagos, Kwara, and Ogun.

Under its special investigations, Tracka said it examined the country’s dam projects following 12 national grid collapses recorded in 2024.

The organisation added that it also tracked 16 dam projects across 13 states valued at N432 million, noting that none had been completed.

“Four were abandoned, six were progressing slowly, while six had not started despite funding,” the report reads.

“On primary healthcare centres (PHCs), out of 47 PHCs assessed nationwide, only 26 showed improvements; twelve remained under construction, while eight operated in degraded conditions with crumbling structures and inadequate supplies despite allocated funds.

“For Niger Delta projects, we tracked 48 projects across four states: 29 completed and transforming lives, four ongoing, two untraceable due to unclear locations, and 13 not started despite released funds totalling billions of naira.”

The report identified project ambiguity as a major challenge, noting that there are many that lack clear locations, making monitoring difficult and accountability nearly impossible.

It also highlighted persistent gaps between funds released and work delivered.

Tracka disclosed that 206 out of 1,120 tracked projects were solar-related, but only 33 had clear locations, with several assigned to agencies outside their mandates.

‘POOR TRANSPARENCY UNDERMINE PUBLIC INVESTMENTS’

Speaking at the report’s launch, Osiyemi Joshua, head of Tracka, said weak planning and poor transparency continue to undermine public investments.

“There is a major problem with vague project descriptions, no handover processes, and agencies implementing projects outside their mandate,” Joshua said.

Oluseun Onigbinde, BudgIT’s executive director, said nearly 40 percent of tracked projects were either abandoned or improperly delivered.

“Nigeria spends heavily but plans poorly. Evaluation is weak, and that is why value for money remains elusive,” he said.

Onigbinde called for stronger engagement by citizens, the media, and the national assembly to curb waste and improve accountability in public spending.(The Cable)